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Wayne State to join majority of Michigan universities with smoke-free policy

A photo posted by Wayne State University (@waynestate) on Jul 8, 2014 at 2:30pm PDT

Students panic-smoking before an exam (and professors panic-smoking before their students take the exam) will need to put their cigs out. Effective Aug. 19, Wayne State will be the latest to join Eastern, Northern, Western, University of Michigan, Oakland, Central, Grand Valley, Saginaw Valley, and Lawrence Tech in smoke-free campus policies.

“Wayne State is committed to the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors," said Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson in a press release. "Going smoke- and tobacco-free is a logical step toward ensuring a healthy, clean and welcoming campus."

Wilson also said as the campus transitions, they will also provide resources for students and teachers who want help quitting smoking.

Wayne State’s smoke-free policy is also effective against “vaping,” or e-cigarettes, according to the release. Additionally, Michigan State University is set to turn to smoke-free next year, with a tobacco-free ordinance going into effect on Aug. 15, 2016. According to tobaccofree.msu.edu, “The delay in enacting the policy is to allow sufficient time for those affected by the new ordinance to be aware of its existence and take the necessary steps to comply." The website states that throughout the next year, a task force will work on educating "both members of and visitors to the campus community.”

According to a July 1 report by the American Nonsmoker’s Rights Foundation, there are currently at least 1,577 100-percent smoke free campuses across the United States. For more info on WSU's cessation program and details of the new ordinance, check out wayne.edu/smoke-free.